We all have those moments when we ask: God, what am I supposed to do? What’s Your plan for me?
The pressure is real—school, career paths, family, friends, and society. Sometimes it feels like we’re stuck in a never-ending race to figure it all out. We think that if I just know what God’s will is or where I’m supposed to be, then everything else will fall into place.
Well… the reality isn’t just about finding a single destination or answer. It’s not about walking a tightrope in the plan that God has for you, and if you get it wrong, you fall off. But rather, we are invited into a relational journey where we can walk hand in hand with our Father and trust that He will lead us into paths of righteousness.
As we invite Jesus into our hearts and allow His Spirit to transform us, our hearts begin to align with His. And as our hearts are shaped like His, walking in His will becomes a natural response because we can live in overflow of who He’s called us to be. As we step out in faith into the things that He’s put on our hearts, we can trust that our Father will lead us into His goodness, even when things don’t always go to plan and our fleshly desires pull us aside. Walking in submission to God’s will becomes a beautiful experiential journey, where saying Your will be done isn’t about fearful surrender or control, but a confident step into the promises of God.
We see this so clearly in the life of Jesus as He walked in complete intimacy with the Father, and everything He did flowed from that. Jesus would often withdraw from the crowds to pray. He spent time in the secret place and carried the awareness of His Father’s closeness in every moment. He wasn’t driven by the pressure to prove himself, but rather by Presence.
Because He remained in constant communion with the Father, clarity and purpose flowed naturally. His heart was shaped by love and perfectly aligned with His Father’s, so His life became an overflow of that relationship. Jesus says in John 5:19, “the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing”. Jesus didn’t act independently, but in perfect unity and trust with the Father.
And this is the invitation for us too—not to live from pressure or performance to figure it all out and prove ourselves, but instead to live from Presence. To be so close to the Father that our hearts become like His, and our lives become a natural response to His love, out of relationship.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” – John 15:9-10
As we abide, the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside out. And when decisions come, we trust our Father more than our own ambitions, because our love for Him has grown deeper than our need for control and comfort. We lean. We follow. Not because it’s easy, but because we know who we’re walking with.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters” – Psalms 23:1-3
Often our intimacy with God is tested in difficult and painful moments. On the night before Jesus died, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew what was coming. He knew that His Father’s plan was the only way to bring redemption to humanity, even when it involved death. And yet in the middle of deep emotional pain and fear, He prayed:
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” – Luke 22:42
Jesus didn’t want to suffer. He felt fear, grief and anguish, like we would; He was sweating drops of blood (v44). But in the midst of it all, He chooses to prioritise Presence and seek intimacy with the Father. We all know that when challenges come, our instinct is to often handle things ourselves. The enemy sneaks worry, fear and distraction into our minds, trying to make us more aware of the problem than of God. But Jesus shows us a better way by running to the Father in the midst of it, rather than dwelling on the problem itself. The psalmist writes:
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” — Psalms 23:5
When we’re surrounded by difficulty, the Lord prepares a table—an invitation to sit with Him in His Presence. But often we are so focused on the problem and what might happen that we miss out on what He’s inviting us into. We become more aware of the enemy than of the One who is seated with us. Yet it’s in that very place, in the middle of the tension, that God offers peace, perspective and depth in Him. Where in your life might the Lord be inviting you to sit with Him at His table?
And notice what happens next in the garden:
“An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him” (v43). In His time of agony, God didn’t leave His Son alone. He sent divine help. And the same is true for us, when we walk in faith and surrender, God will meet us with His strength, His guidance, and His peace, just as He did for Jesus. He never forsakes us.
It’s interesting to think that Jesus could’ve said ‘no’ and avoided the cross. With a word, legions of angels could’ve rescued him (Matt 26:53), but He didn’t run. He chose to lay His life down to fulfil God’s divine plan to save humanity from sin and restore us back into right relationship with the Father, because He loves us.
It wasn’t a forced surrender but willingly saying ‘no’ to His human desires and a wholehearted ‘yes’ to God’s way. And we’re invited into that same beautiful exchange. As we choose to give up our way and lay down our lives, we can receive the fullness of His life (Luke 9:23-24). And this surrender isn’t about loss or defeat, but a daily invitation to trust beyond what we see and walk in the power and purpose and abundance that come from following Him.
And here’s the beauty of it—you don’t have to strive to be like Jesus, you get to be with the Father like Jesus was. Jesus lived from His identity. At His baptism, before He began His ministry, the Father declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). That security shaped everything. We too are brought into relationship, as adopted sons and daughters, heirs to God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). And we are invited to walk and be with Him in every season, like Jesus did, whole in our identity as beloved children of the Most High, with complete assurance in knowing that His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life (Psalms 23:6).
Reflect:
- What are the areas in life where you may be holding onto control instead of trusting God?
- Where is He calling you to let go of fear of the future, or people, and lean into His love?
- What would it look like to truly abide—to remain in His presence and trust—daily?
Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart. Wait. Listen. Let Him shape you. What is Jesus saying to you?
Pray:
Jesus, thank you that Your love is patient, and You are kind, and You invite me into relationship with You.
Help me to trust You more than I trust my own comfort. Teach me to walk closely with You, not just in the big moments, but in the quiet, unseen ones. Help me to sit at Your table, even when it’s set in the midst of problems. Shape my heart so that my “yes” to You flows from love and knowing that You are good.
I want to remain in You, as You remain in me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.